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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 156
Friday, November 14, 2003
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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TCU, MAC rattle status quo
�2003 Bonesville.net
How about this for a BCS showdown?
Texas Christian bounces its way over to Miami to face
Florida State in the FedEx Orange Bowl. And maybe with a little help � OK,
divine intervention � Miami (Ohio) soars its way into Tempe to battle LSU.
I know, sounds crazy. But at least one of those scenarios is
looking like a distinct possibility when the Bowl Championship Series
announces its match-ups at season�s end.
The thing is, both should be a probability, which is a
notion that will be volleyed when BCS and non-BCS representatives meet this
weekend to discuss potential tweaks to the current system that crowns
college football�s national champion.
In the ongoing debate over the fairness of the BCS � or
rather, the lack thereof � one might argue that TCU could have picked a
better time to state its case for a spot on the big stage. With three games
remaining on their schedule, those pesky Frogs have hopped right onto the
BCS buffet table and would be guaranteed a slice of the money pie were the
season to end today.
Good, right?
On the surface, yes, it looks like a major victory in the
political tug-of-war between the haves and have nots. After years of
panhandling for table scraps in lower-tier bowls, the peasants would finally
get the opportunity to dine with college football royalty.
As sweet as it may sound, though, an appearance by TCU in a
BCS bowl in early January would make the BCS cartel look less like� well� a
cartel. That argument is certain to be used in New Orleans this weekend by
those �generous� BCS suits.
That�s not what we want.
We need the BCS to be perceived as that exclusive good ole
boy club in which outsiders never will be taught the secret handshake. That
TCU is about to barge into the gridiron grand gala shouldn�t change that
notion by any measure.
Because, if the Frogs make the cut � and that still is a
monumental if � they will do so as an uninvited guest resulting from
increased parity within the power conferences. Translated, the blueprint for
a non-BCS school to reach pigskin nirvana is an undefeated season,
accompanied by sub-par years within the BCS leagues.
Not exactly the ideal scenario for the TCUs and East
Carolinas of the world.
Since its inception, the BCS has gone out of its way to
thumb its nose at non-BCS schools that had valid arguments for inclusion. In
1998, Tulane ran the table in blowout fashion. Marshall followed that one
year later with 13 perfect outings.
Their rewards were budget-busting trips to Memphis and
Detroit, with little fun and sun. Talk about a Merry Christmas.
Granted, neither Tulane nor Marshall stood toe-to-toe with
gridiron bullies on a weekly basis, and the same can be said about TCU.
However, it seems a bit harsh to penalize perfection, especially for
something over which schools have little control.
With non-conference schedules created years in advance � not
to mention the fact that no program chooses its league slate � non-BCS
schools always will be hamstrung by a major part of the equation. Meanwhile,
schools from the ACC and SEC can schedule lightly out-of-conference, yet
still earn a BCS berth with a 9-3 or 8-4 record.
Case in point, a three-loss N.C. State team, with its best
victory thus far coming against an enigmatic Virginia club, has an excellent
shot at a BCS bid if it wins its final two games. Conversely, a one-loss
Northern Illinois outfit that has scored non-conference victories over
Maryland, Alabama, and Iowa State must cross its fingers for an invitation
to Mobile.
Yeah, that's fair. That's what the vested interests of the
BCS want you to believe.
During a season in which many believed the ACC would emerge
as a football giant, winning the Mid-American Conference looks like the
tougher task. Given the choice of which league champion I would prefer to
play, the answer no longer is automatic.
This year, I would take my chances with the Seminoles.
There's your argument for change.
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02/23/2007 01:53:14 AM |
